Intertwined-braidlike jewellery and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention generally relates to jewellery making and particularly relates to intertwined-braidlike jewellery and novel method of making the same. When completed jewellery item is made by assembling many very small elemental jewellery units, the work of formation of interconnections of assembled small units poses many difficulties for the artisans which add to the cost and time-duration of assembly work. This assembled completed jewellery item also presents a flat two dimensional appearance which reduces both attractiveness and hence value of jewellery item. The present invention provides a novel shape of small elemental jewellery units, such that the work of interconnecting them avoids the need of wire-bending and soldering during interconnection-work, used by earlier jewellery making methods. This novel method of assembly of very small elemental jewellery units gives additional advantage of presenting a three dimensional appearance, thereby increasing attractiveness and value of jewellery item. The present invention can be used for making jewellery items like necklace, bracelets, pendants, earrings and the like.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention generally relates to jewellery making and particularly relates to intertwined-braidlike jewellery and method of making the same by avoiding need of wire-bending and soldering during assembly of completed individual small elemental jewellery units.

DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

A complete jewellery item, such as a necklace, bracelet or earring is prepared by assembling and connecting together sequentially, identical or varying, small elemental jewellery unit pieces. In most of these cases, these small elemental units are assembled and connected together sequentially, each unit being stably and moveably connected to next sequential adjacent unit by appropriate bending of wires and soldering as required, thereby forming suitable interconnection between these two units.

It is well known to any person skilled in the art, that when the elemental units are very small in size, for example, having linear dimension of 3 mm to 5 mm, this work of formation of interconnection by wire-bending and soldering poses many difficulties for the artisan making the assembly of these small units, which add to the cost and time-duration of the work required for making a jewellery item of good quality.

Similarly, these assembled jewellery items present a two-dimensional flat appearance of jewellery item to the wearer or observer, thereby reducing the attractiveness and beauty-appeal of the jewellery item to the customer. It should be emphasized here that these two factors, that is, attractiveness and beauty-appeal of the jewellery item decide the “value” of the jewellery to the customer. It is known to the person skilled in the art, that a three-dimensional appearance of jewellery is considered to be of much better-value than its two-dimensional flat appearance and is a preferred appearance making enormous value-addition to the jewellery item.

The presently used method of wire-bending and soldering to interconnect adjacent small elemental jewellery units, makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to make an assembly giving a three-dimensional-appearance assembly of small elemental jewellery units and also to retain and maintain the desired planned shape of jewellery item.

Similarly, the present method of assembly of elemental-jewellery-units makes the appearance of the gems like diamonds (which are used in gem-studded-jewellery) to the viewer as “falling down” and not as “standing erect while facing the viewer”, a terminology commonly used in jewellery industry.

Hence, there is a need to develop appropriately shaped individual elemental jewellery units and a method of their assembly, which overcome the above mentioned difficulties and disadvantages.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF PRESENT INVENTION

Accordingly, the objects and advantages of the present invention are described below:

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the activities of bending of wires and subsequent soldering, while assembling small elemental jewellery units.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a very speedy method of assembly of individual small elemental jewellery units.

Further object of the present invention is to provide individual elemental jewellery units and method of their assembly such that, the three-dimensional (and not flat) shape, such as a helically or spirally winding shape is obtained and retained without making special efforts for the same.

Still further object of the present invention is to provide an assemblage of small individual elemental jewellery units which increases the grace, appearance and beauty-value of jewellery, by making diamond-bearing small elemental jewellery units to stand-out and face the viewer and preventing their “falling-down” appearance.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and the ensuing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The detailed description of invention is accompanied by the drawings briefly described below:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram for the small individual elemental jewellery unit.

FIG. 2 shows the assembly of two small individual elemental jewellery units.

FIG. 3 shows the assembly of three small individual elemental jewellery units which are assembled sequentially.

FIG. 4 shows an assembled jewellery necklace when stretched to its final length.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to jewellery making and particularly relates to intertwined-braidlike jewellery and novel method of making the same. When completed jewellery item is made by assembling many very small elemental jewellery units, the work of formation of interconnections of assembled small units poses many difficulties for the artisans which add to the cost and time-duration of assembly work. This assembled completed jewellery item also presents a flat two dimensional appearance which reduces both attractiveness and hence value of jewellery item. The present invention provides a novel shape of small elemental jewellery units, such that the work of interconnecting them avoids the need of wire-bending and soldering during interconnection-work, used by earlier jewellery making methods. This novel method of assembly of very small elemental jewellery units gives additional advantage of presenting a three dimensional appearance, thereby increasing attractiveness and value of jewellery item. The present invention can be used for making jewellery items like necklace, bracelets, pendants, earrings and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

An illustration of the present invention is given here with reference to one particular type of jewellery item, that is, a necklace. However it should be noted that the present invention can be used in making other jewellery items such as bracelet, pendant, earrings and the like.

According to the most preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided an elemental jewellery unit J, as shown schematically in FIG. 1. The unit J comprises a specially shaped wire having a shape resembling approximately English alphabet V, wherein one leg L of V shape is longer than another leg S of V shape and there is a small uniform curved shape 1, resembling approximately with lower bend in English alphabet U working as junction of longer leg L and shorter leg S. A stopper wire 2 is positioned and soldered at its two ends with each end being connected to respective leg of V shape. One end of stopper wire is soldered to the shorter leg S near its free end, and other end of stopper wire is soldered to longer leg L such that the longitudinal axis of stopper wire is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the two legs L and S, and a small part of longer leg L is disposed beyond the soldered end of stopper wire. A small gap-space G is surrounded by the two legs L and S, stopper wire 2 and small uniform curved shape 1, all working as the boundaries of this gap-space. G.

An ornamental element, capable of accommodating and supporting a required number of gems, as required when the jewellery unit J is gem-studded has a bottom plane which is soldered to free ends of the two legs L and S. It is observed that, as the two legs L and S are of unequal lengths, the bottom plane of the ornamental element is inclined to the individual longitudinal axes of each of two legs L and S at angles having magnitudes other than ninety degrees. The entire V shaped wire is thus positioned below this bottom plane and top surface of the ornamental element supports the required number of gems with the help of projecting and supporting prongs provided on this top surface of ornamental element. (The prongs and gems are not shown in the Figures). Once all the gems are positioned and appropriately held firmly between the prongs of the ornamental element, the small individual elemental jewellery unit J is ready for further assemblage with other similarly ready small individual elemental jewellery units, which are to be assembled in sequence, to form a jewellery item, such as, necklace, bracelet, earrings, pendant and the like.

It should be noted here that any of these small individual elemental jewellery units does not have any special interconnecting arrangement such as a loose wire, ends of which are to be woven through a closed loop of next elemental jewellery unit, subsequently to be bent and then to be soldered to form a stable interconnection, between two adjacent elemental jewellery units.

The novel structure and shape of this individual elemental jewellery unit of present invention and novel method of assembling such similar elemental jewellery units permit formation of stable and appropriate interconnections between consecutive units, without any need of loose wire ends being woven, bent and soldered, which saves to a very large extent labour, material, time and overall cost in making the jewellery item.

For explaining the method of assembling all small individual elemental jewellery units sequentially to form the desired jewellery item, such as a necklace, the following nomenclature is used.

V-part indicates a wire shape formed by the stopper wire and part of V-shaped wire lying below it. Therefore, V1, V2, V3 and so on, indicate different V-parts of elemental jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

L1, L2, L3 and so on, indicate respective longer legs of elemental jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

S1, S2, S3 and so on, indicate respective shorter legs of elemental jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

G1, G2, G3 and so on, indicate respective gap-spaces of elemental jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

PL1, PL2, PL3 and so on (not shown in the figures), indicate respective planes formed by longitudinal axes of respective parts L, S of respective elemental jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

BP1, BP2, BP3 and so on, indicate respective planes formed by bottom parts of corresponding ornamental elements of respective elementary jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

GS1, GS2, GS3 and so on, indicate respective gem-supporting surfaces of ornamental elements of respective elemental jewellery units J1, J2, J3 and so on, respectively.

Now the method of assembly of all elemental jewellery units is explained below in details.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the artisan holds the first elemental jewellery unit J1 such that the ornamental element is facing away from the holder, and the ornamental element is at upper level and V1-part is held at lower level and the holder appropriately orients and inserts the V2-part of second elemental jewellery unit J2 into the G1 gap-space of V1 part of the first elemental jewellery unit J1 from the right hand side of holder. The V2-part is now suspended through gap-space G1, such that V2-part is deriving its support, with its shorter leg S2 resting against the inside surface of lower end of V1-part, that is, lower end of G1, and with bottom surface BP2 of ornamental element of second elemental jewellery unit resting on some contact surface of outer surface of L1 and S1 of first elemental jewellery unit J-1. Then the holder continues same method of holding and direction of insertion of V part for remaining elemental jewellery units, assembling them sequentially, till the completed jewellery item is finally prepared. Now one will achieve a particular direction of rotation of completed jewellery item somewhat similar to a spiral/helical shape.

Appearance of opposite direction of rotation of completed jewellery item somewhat similar to a spiral/helical shape will be obtained if above mentioned insertion of V shape in to a gap-space is done from the left hand side of holder and then same method of holding and this new direction of insertion is continued for assembling all remaining elemental jewellery units.

Now it is seen that when such a completed jewellery item, after assembling all elemental jewellery units to form a completed jewellery item such as a necklace, is suspended vertically and observed from the top, it is seen that the three dimensional spiral/helical shape of the necklace length has a appearance of clockwise or anticlockwise direction of rotation forming a three dimensional spiral/helix. The rotational direction will depend upon the direction of initial insertion of one V-part of an elemental jewellery unit into the gap-space G of another elemental jewellery unit (that is, from left side or from right side of the holder), and continuing same direction of insertion for all of remaining elemental jewellery units.

In this completed jewellery item, it is seen that the ornamental elements of sequentially assembled elemental jewellery units get themselves arranged in a three-dimensional spiral or helical shape.

It is thus seen that this invention overcomes all the difficulties and disadvantages of earlier jewellery manufacturing methods.

In view of above mentioned details of the present invention it is apparent to the person skilled in the art that the present invention basically comprises of the following two items;

Item 1

A novel intertwined-braidlike jewellery, wherein, the need for wire-bending and soldering is eliminated during the work of formation of sequential interconnections between units of a plurality of elemental jewellery units, capably forming together a complete jewellery item giving a three-dimensional appearance, comprising:

-   -   a plurality of elemental jewellery units wherein each unit of         which comprises:         -   a. a specially shaped wire,         -   b. a stopper wire,         -   c. an ornamental element,

wherein, said specially shaped wire has a shape approximately resembling English alphabet V, with one leg L of V-shape being longer than another leg S, said shape also having a small uniform curved shape 1 approximately resembling lower bend in English alphabet U and working as a junction between said leg L and said leg S;

wherein said stopper wire is disposed between the two legs L and S, such that one end of said stopper wire is soldered to said leg S near free end thereof and other end of said stopper wire is soldered to said leg L, such that the longitudinal axis of said stopper wire is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of said legs L and S and a small end-part of said leg L is disposed beyond its soldered joint with said stopper wire;

wherein, said ornamental element, capably accommodating and supporting required number of gems, when said elemental jewellery unit is gem-studded, has lower inclined bottom plane thereof soldered to the free ends of said legs L and S;

wherein all units of said plurality of elemental jewellery units are sequentially intertwined, thereby capably providing said three-dimensional appearance of said braidlike jewellery item, the sequential intertwining being carried out by intertwining V-shape of an elemental jewellery unit through empty space of V-shape of an adjacent elemental jewellery unit, with direction of entry of V-shape of said elemental jewellery unit into said empty shape of said adjacent elemental jewellery unit being in direction from right hand side of the holder of said elemental jewellery unit, then similarly continuing the work of sequential intertwining till all units of said plurality of elemental jewellery units are intertwined, wherein gem-studded part of each ornamental element is disposed such that it faces outwards and finally gentle stretching is applied to all intertwined units, thereby capably; forming the completed jewellery item, giving said three dimensional appearance of a spirally-wound jewellery item, where the spiral-winding appears to take place in one direction; and

wherein, alternatively the insertion of V-shape of said elemental jewellery unit into said empty space of V-shape of said adjacent elemental jewellery unit, takes place in direction from left hand side of said holder for getting three dimensional appearance of a spirally-wound jewellery item, where the spiral-winding appears to take place in opposite direction.

Item 2

A method of making a novel intertwined-braidlike jewellery, comprising the steps of:

-   -   a. providing a plurality of predetermined number of elemental         jewellery units of item 1, which are to be used in making         intertwined-braidlike jewellery;     -   b. holding an adjacent elemental jewellery unit with ornamental         element thereof at upper level and V-shape thereof at lower         level, such that gem-studded part thereof faces away from the         holder;     -   c. intertwining an elemental jewellery unit with said elemental         jewellery unit by disposing V-shaped part of said elemental         jewellery unit through empty space of V-shaped part of said         adjacent elemental jewellery unit in direction from right hand         side or left hand side of said holder;

d. holding and appropriately orienting the intertwined said elemental jewellery unit, in a way similar to step (b) used for holding said adjacent elemental elementary jewellery unit and then intertwining a next elemental jewellery unit with said elemental jewellery unit, in a way similar to step (c) used for intertwining of said elemental jewellery unit with said elemental adjacent jewellery unit;

-   -   e. continuing similarly the process of sequential intertwining         for all remaining elemental jewellery units in a way similar to         step (d);     -   f. stretching gently all intertwined elemental jewellery units,         thereby capably forming said intertwined braidlike jewellery         item, giving the three dimensional appearance of a spirally         wound jewellery item, with the spiral winding appearing to take         place only in one direction or only in opposite direction,         depending upon particular direction of intertwining used for all         units forming said intertwined-braidlike jewellery item, which         said direction is from left hand side or right hand side of said         holder.

While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitation in the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of the preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 

1. A novel intertwined-braidlike jewellery, wherein, the need for wire-bending and soldering is eliminated during the work of formation of sequential interconnections between units of a plurality of elemental jewellery units, capably forming together a complete jewellery item giving a three-dimensional appearance, comprising: a plurality of elemental jewellery units wherein each unit of which comprises: a. a specially shaped wire, b. a stopper wire, c. an ornamental element, wherein, said specially shaped wire has a shape approximately resembling English alphabet V, with one leg (L) of V-shape being longer than another leg (S), said shape also having a small uniform curved shape (1) approximately resembling lower bend in English alphabet U working as a junction between said leg (L) and said leg (S); wherein said stopper wire is disposed between the two legs (L) and (S), such that one end of said stopper wire is soldered to said leg (S) near free end thereof and other end of said stopper wire is soldered to said leg (L), such that the longitudinal axis of said stopper wire is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of said legs (L) and (S) and a small end-part of said leg (L) is disposed beyond its soldered joint with said stopper wire; wherein, said ornamental element (3), capably accommodating and supporting required number of gems, when said elemental jewellery unit is gem-studded, has lower inclined bottom plane thereof soldered to the free ends of said legs (L) and (S); wherein all units of said plurality of elemental jewellery units are sequentially intertwined, thereby capably providing said three-dimensional appearance of said braidlike jewellery item, the sequential intertwining being carried out by intertwining V-shape of an elemental jewellery unit through empty space of V-shape of an adjacent elemental jewellery unit, with direction of entry of V-shape of said elemental unit into said empty shape of said adjacent elemental jewellery unit being in direction from right hand side of the holder of said elemental unit, then similarly continuing the work of sequential intertwining till all units of said plurality of elemental jewellery units are intertwined, wherein gem-studded part of each ornamental element is disposed such that it faces outwards and finally gentle stretching is applied to all intertwined units, thereby capably forming the completed jewellery item, giving said three dimensional appearance of a spirally-wound jewellery item, the spiral-winding taking place in one direction; and wherein, alternatively the insertion of V-shape of said elemental jewellery unit into said empty space of V-shape of said adjacent elemental jewellery unit, takes place in direction from left hand side of said holder for getting three dimensional appearance of a spirally-wound jewellery item, where the spiral-winding appears to take place in opposite direction.
 2. A method of making a novel intertwined-braidlike jewellery, comprising the steps of: a. providing a plurality of predetermined number of elemental jewellery units, which are to be used in making intertwined-braidlike jewellery; b. holding an elemental jewellery unit with ornamental element (3) thereof at upper level and V-shape thereof at lower level, such that gem-studded part thereof faces away from the holder; c. intertwining an adjacent elemental jewellery unit with said elemental jewellery unit by disposing V-shaped part of said adjacent elemental jewellery unit through empty space of V-shaped part of said elemental jewellery unit in direction from right hand side or left hand side of said holder; d. holding and appropriately orienting the intertwined said adjacent elemental jewellery unit, in a way similar to step (b) used for holding said elemental elementary jewellery unit and then intertwining a next elemental jewellery unit with said adjacent elemental jewellery unit, in a way similar to step (c) used for intertwining of said adjacent elemental jewellery unit with said elemental jewellery unit; e. continuing similarly the process of sequential intertwining for all remaining elemental jewellery units in a way similar to step (d); f. stretching gently all intertwined elemental jewellery units, thereby capably forming said intertwined-braidlike jewellery, giving the three dimensional appearance of a spirally wound jewellery item, the spiral winding taking place in one direction or opposite direction.
 3. (canceled)
 4. (canceled) 